The invention relates to a spinal implant and instrument of an instrument set used to prepare a disc space and to insert the implant into said disc space.
A spinal implant and instrument set of this kind is disclosed in WO 2005/011539. The instruments include a distractor, a rasp and two guides. These instruments are used to prepare a space for the implant between adjacent vertebrae. The distractor is used to separate vertebrae during an insertion procedure. The implant, which is inserted into the disc space is a cage with a top configured to contact a first vertebra and a bottom configured to contact a second vertebra. The implant further comprises a curved anterior side and a curved posterior side.
A wedged cage walker is known to translate a cage inserted in the interdisc space laterally. With hammer percussion upon the wedge cage walker, a first cage is translated towards the midline, wherein a pedicle probe is used as a buttress for the wedge cage walker. Then a second cage is inserted through the same opening. Percussion upon the cage walker now translates both cages and opens the contralateral interspace.
In order to allow the surgeon to access the posterior elements, the anterior spine and deep spinal pathology were leaving the surrounding structures functionally intact, the ELIF method has been created as disclosed in the U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/688,331, filed Jun. 8, 2005, and corresponding U.S. Patent Publication 2007/00162978. The ELIF Lateral Trajectory Line originating from the anterior apophysis of the vertebral bode, running posterior and lateral oblique at about 30° across the superior vertebral endplate, past a position, just lateral to the superior facet and therefore the mamillary process, which is a caudal insertion point.